TWO SOULS: INTO THE FIRE … # 156

Before going to the diner, Kinsey drove around the block, to look at the house that Trevor and Zach had rented. He approved. He hoped they’d have better times here, than at the old place. Circling back around, he parked in the diner’s lot. Terry’s old pick-up was there, now, so he went in to join him. They ordered their supper, and began to compare lists.

“This is going to work out great,” Terry said, as he wrote out a final master list for their itinerary.

“I’ll start making phone calls in the morning,” Kinsey said. “I’ll try to have all our sightseeing places spaced out, so we won’t have to hurry.” The plan was to leave in five days time.

“On to other news,” Kinsey said. “After you left, Trevor and Zach came in and informed me that they were moving into a rental. In fact it’s right behind the diner…a house.”

“Cool,” Terry said, “and convenient, too. They can just walk over here to eat.”

“Yeah, guess they could,” Kinsey said. “I still wonder where they get their money, ya know. Y’all don’t make much from the gigs, and I don’t ever hear of Trevor selling his comics.”

“I’ve wondered about that, too. You weren’t charging them to stay in the room, but that motel the past few days must have cost something. Didn’t that Zach do something with computers? Maybe he found out a way to make money from it.”

“Well, from what I understand, he got in a lot of trouble for computer fraud, a few years ago. They had to go underground, up until they came here. Well, guess they get money from somewhere, ’cause they seem to be getting by,” Kinsey said.

“Oh, I heard they’re tearing down the murder house tomorrow. Is that right?” Terry asked.

“Yes, they told me that it was going to be in the morning.”

Terry shook his head, “Man, I still can’t believe we did all that shit out there…I’m still having nightmares about it…you?”

Kinsey nodded. “Yep, bad business, all of it.”

“You gonna go watch?”

“Hell, no. I don’t want to get anywhere near it. There may be some lingering spooks floating around, getting riled up.” Kinsey knocked on the wooden table. “Just in case.” He laughed, but was serious.

“I hear ya,” Terry said.

They talked a while longer, then Terry remembered his appointment with Steve and Ghost for the next morning. “I have to call R. J. and let him know to come in,” Terry said. “And, if we’re not prepared, Steve will kill us. As it is, we’ll probably be at it all day. You know, this has to be done before we can leave, Kinsey. Guess I should go get stuff done, so we can start in early tomorrow.”

“Yeah, I’m heading home, too,” Kinsey said.

After paying their diner bill, Kinsey left for the club. Terry sat in the parking lot a few minutes, making his phone call to R. J., then went on his way.

~

As Steve and Ghost had left the club, that late afternoon, Steve was thinking about the recording session, the next morning. Ghost was quiet. He’d been in such a good mood earlier, but now was feeling odd.

“Steve, something’s wrong with me. I don’t feel good.”

Steve looked at him. “What is it? You don’t look so good either.”

“My stomach hurts, and my eye is jumping, like I’m getting a bad headache, but it don’t hurt yet,” Ghost said. He coughed, which then made him gag.

“You need me to pull over, or can you hold on ’till we get home?” Steve asked.

Steve opened the trunk, getting out the jack, and the spare tire. While he changed the flat, Ghost was pacing up and down in the middle of the road. He was trying to figure out why he felt weird, when he was overcome with a wave of nausea. He clutched his stomach, doubling over, and threw up.

Steve, looked up, worried, and was about to say something, when he saw Ghost fall to the ground, like he’d been pushed down. He ran over to help Ghost up.

“Get in the car…now,” Steve yelled, as he yanked Ghost up, and shoved him into the car.

“Steve what is it? I’m ok now…”

“Stay in there, I’m almost finished with the tire,” Steve said, as he tightened the lug nuts, and let the car down from the jack. He threw the flat tire and tools into the trunk, slammed the lid, jumped into the car, and sped off, throwing gravel, as he headed toward home.

“Steve, what the hell is the matter?” Ghost hollered at him.

Steve didn’t say anything, but he was gripping the steering wheel, breathing hard, and frowning. At their house, he screeched to a stop, right by the porch steps. Swiveling around in his seat, to look behind him, down the long dirt road, he said, “Maybe it didn’t follow us…maybe it’s ok.” He gave Ghost a look, “We’re getting out and going inside, as fast as we can, Ghost…ya hear me?” Ghost nodded. “Ok, let’s go.”

They ran up the porch steps and into the house. Steve didn’t even notice that he’d been walking fine on his leg. Adrenalin was blocking any pain he might have felt. Just as they walked over the warning sign, painted on the wooden porch, Ghost reeled, almost falling down, but Steve managed to catch him.

“Dizzy, so dizzy…” Ghost said.

Steve had the door open now, and they stumbled inside. He locked the screen and the door, and they both collapsed onto the couch.

“Steve, what is it…why are you freaking out? I just threw up, that’s all.”

“Ghost, I don’t know what it was…but, out there on the road…I saw something. Just for a second, and it was behind you, and it pushed you down.” He was staring at the door, expecting whatever it was to be coming in after them.

“What was it?” Ghost asked. He had his hand on Steve’s arm, and could feel him shaking.

“Hell if I know what it was, but it wasn’t the good fairy, I can tell you that,” Steve said. “It was sort of like a dark, cloudy, mist thing…no shape to it, and I only saw it for a second. Didn’t you see it?”

Ghost shook his head. “No, but it did feel like I got pushed…and just now, at the door, it felt like something was swirling around my head, making me dizzy.”

“Are you still?”

“No, not anymore…just my head is hurting a little.”

“What the hell was it? Was I just imagining it?”

“I don’t think so, Steve. It sounds like an evil spirit…like maybe a small one, left over from the séance. It must have latched onto me, and now something has happened to make it upset.”

Ghost thought for a moment. “Oh, yeah…didn’t Trevor say they were tearing down the house? If there were any leftover spirits, that would probably make ’em mad.”

“But, why all the way over here?” Steve asked. Then he remembered…because Ghost was the one trying to banish them.

“Yeah, this one was just trying to get my attention…to tell me that their house was going to be destroyed,” Ghost said.

This is a work of “fan fiction” based on the novel, “Lost Souls” by Poppy Z. Brite. All credit for the original characters, places, and some backstory mentions, belong to Ms. Brite and her publishing affiliates. Only newly introduced characters, places, and original elements of this story are entirely from my imagination. Character descriptions are a blend of the original book descriptions and my interpretation of them.

All songs included in this work will be solely owned by the original performers/writers and will be credited. Creative liscense is taken in including them in this story.

No harm is intended toward author, muscians, or people and situations to whom there may be a resemblence.

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The content herein is rated by me as being at the high end of MA (Mature Audience). It includes strong language, violence, sexual themes, including same sex pairings, religious themes, and fantasy horror.